CF Source: Foundation

Every September New Yorkers give up part of their city to the United Nations happening that is the General Assembly. Not only does it attract 193 governmental delegations, but interest groups from every conceivable sector, including a vibrant civil society presence, writes Commonwealth Director, Vijay Krishnarayan in New York.

The Commonwealth Foundation has joined the throng this year so that we can share the outcomes of our joint work with the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) that took soundings from across the Commonwealth on a future internationally agreed development framework. Given the array of civil society organisations here, it is also an opportunity to consolidate relationships and establish new partners as well as to learn from others sharing our objectives. 

Our joint project with the UNMC convened civil society organisations in 20 countries where they reflected on: progress towards the MDGs; the usefulness of the MDG framework for civil society; the contribution of civil society to the attainment of the MDGs; and issues for a post-2015 agenda to consider. The Foundation documented the results for 14 of those 20 countries and produced national papers as well as a synthesis report: Commonwealth Perspectives: Ideas for a New Development Agenda. It showed that there are particular issues that Commonwealth citizens want to see addressed post 2015 including: gender equality; the development needs of small states; and Non-Communicable Diseases. But it also showed that Commonwealth citizens care as much about the way that development is done.  They are not alone. 

This week has provided a focus for several initiatives that have been canvassing citizens’ voices on what should follow the MDGs post 2015. These include the UN’s own project “The World We Want” which reached a million people through 88 national consultations and on-line engagement. The UN’s Non-Governmental Liaison Service consulted with 120 regional civil society networks. Participate – an initiative co-convened by the Institute of Development Studies and the civil society network “Beyond 2015,” used participatory action research to hear from people in 29 countries. 

The striking thing is the degree of convergence across these pieces of work. Citizens: acknowledged that the MDGs provided a focus for development efforts; experienced development in a way that left them disappointed with implementation; and wanted to see future priorities feature decent jobs, care for the environment, accountable governance and peace.  The UN Secretary General’s (UNSG) report “A Life of Dignity for All,” which was presented to the General Assembly clearly has citizens’ fingerprints on it. He calls for goals that are measurable and adaptable to both global and local settings. He says these goals should be universal— applying to all countries. He makes specific references to a sustainable development-based agenda with quality employment and a new global partnership for implementation. 

From here the process of developing the post 2015 development framework becomes increasingly governmental. In the UN system, attention shifts to the so called “Open Working Group” – 30 UN member country representatives nominated by different regions, which will use the UNSG’s report as a point of departure for further thinking on the new framework – there will be opportunities for civil society to provide inputs until February 2014. The Open Working Group will present its report to the next General Assembly in 2014 with the seal being set on the new framework in September 2015. 

For civic concerns about participation and accountable governance to prevail through this process, the representations from the well organised and articulate civil society organisations represented here in New York need to echo the voices of those working at the local, national and regional level. In turn, opportunities need to be found that continue the in-country discussions that have started. It’s only through these national exchanges that civil society and governments will begin to appreciate each other’s position – realise that they have some things in common and begin to deconstruct the somewhat abstract concepts of participation and governance into tangible tools for more effective development.  The Foundation can play its part by supporting dialogue and the engagement of all stakeholders in setting development objectives. These national and regional dialogues will help governments take account of citizens’ voices as they move through the UN’s process. 

Governments may well agree on the need for a single set of goals addressing poverty and sustainability, but the extent to which issues of governance and peace show up is a moot point. The themes that civil society organisations have highlighted are currently at the margins of governmental concerns: while these might feature in preambles, effort is needed at all levels to see these translated into goals or targets. If these issues are to stand any chance of making it on to the new development agenda the discussions between civil society and governments need to continue through until the new framework is agreed in September 2015.

The post-2015 development agenda must address the lack of civil society involvement if there is to be any real progress in future, says the Commonwealth Foundation’s latest report on the MDGs.

Most countries will fall short of meeting the MDGs because they lacked national relevance while issues such as youth unemployment, transparency, accountability and governance were serious omissions.

The report Commonwealth Perspectives: Ideas for a new development agenda has drawn from 14 national reports showing the extent to which civil society has been able to participate in, influence and benefit from the MDGs and provide different perspectives for the future. 

‘The key message is that if previous gains are not to be lost, the MDGs urgently need to be translated from the global abstract to the well-formed national context, where it is more likely that development strategies have been formulated with the participation of civil society and as a result have a better chance of being successful,’ said Commonwealth Foundation Director, Vijay Krishnarayan.

The report highlights the need for global themes to be adaptable to address national priorities, encouraging governments and donors to invest in civil society by introducing more enabling laws and policies, building partnerships with civil society into development agreements; developing public awareness campaigns to promote an understanding that citizens have a right to participate in their development; collecting a greater range of data to include the quality and range of citizens’ experiences and to demand that donors meet their commitments consistently and predictably, providing part of their support to civil society.

‘The role of the civil society in the post 2015 agenda is crucial,’ said Martin Tsounkeu, of the Africa Interchange Development Network in Cameroon and member of the Commonwealth Foundation’s Civil Society Advisory Committee. ‘It stands as a solid bridge linking public service delivery and the real needs of the people. The framework for development effectiveness should be borne by four pillars including employment, education, health and environment with full consideration for cross-cutting issues such as infrastructure, governance, and human rights,’ he said.

The project has drawn on the Commonwealth Foundation’s 2005 report Breaking with Business as Usual involving the same 14 countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Grenada, Jamaica, Malawi, New Zealand, Pakistan, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and Zambia.

With additional support from the UN Millennium Campaign, four additional Commonwealth countries have also been included in the project: Nigeria, The Gambia, Mozambique and India; and two non-Commonwealth countries: Nepal and Philippines. These reports will be available shortly.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

The 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 15-17 November. CHOGM 2013 was organised by the Sri Lankan Government in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat. 

CHOGM 2013 provided an opportunity for Commonwealth leaders to meet in Sri Lanka to discuss world issues relevant to building a strong and secure future for all. 

Commonwealth Business Forum

Commonwealth Youth Forum

The 2013 Commonwealth People’s Forum Guidebook provides details of the programme, including details of the workshops and speakers which for 2013 focused on ‘Equitable growth and inclusive development:beyond 2015’.

The Commonwealth People’s Forum takes place from 10 – 14 November at Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka.

The CPF 2013 theme ‘Equitable growth and inclusive development: beyond 2015,’ shares this year’s CHOGM theme and will focus on the post-2015 development agenda from a Commonwealth civil society perspective. Workshops and panel discussions will cover topics including equitable growth, women’s empowerment, peace-building, food security and the sustainable development goals. Delegates will also have the opportunity to take part in a series of learning journeys, visiting community projects and organisations in Sri Lanka. 

The CPF 2013 is organised by the Commonwealth Foundation, hosted by Sevalanka Foundation, Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities and Sarvodaya, with support from the Government of Sri Lanka.

Photos of CPF2013 can be found here

Setting the post-2015 development compass: voices from the ground, was the theme of a meeting jointly hosted by CAFOD, Participate and the Commonwealth Foundation, yesterday.

Ms Gunilla Carlson, pictured, Minister for International Development Cooperation, Sweden and a member of the High Level Panel on the post-2015 Development Agenda, gave a keynote speech outlining her thoughts on post-2015 development. She described the opportunity at hand to eradicate extreme poverty and welcomed the new approaches to development. This stemmed from a change in outlook, which now recognised people as agents of their own development – rather than the recipients of aid. Looking ahead, the Minister highlighted responsive and accountable governance as well as gender equality as the foundations for any new global development framework. 

The meeting provided a catalyst for debate around the issues facing civil society and launched the publication of CAFOD’s COMPASS report, showing how the wellbeing of poor people has deteriorated over the past 15 years.

Vijay Krishnarayan, Director the Commonwealth Foundation, said the meeting was of particular interest to the Foundation because of its work taking soundings from civil society in 20 countries on the post MDG framework. 

“Our joint project with the UN Millenium Campaign has reviewed national experiences of civil society engagement with the MDGs and enabled a discussion among civil society about their aspirations for a post 2015 world.  It has attracted widespread support because of the emphasis it placed on consultation – a principle that also ran through the COMPASS 2015 project.”

“Without a commitment to consultation there is no basis for dialogue, no transparency or accountability,” said Krishnarayan. “How else can governments be held accountable for the commitments they have made – or indeed how can civil society organisations demonstrate that they have kept their side of the development deal?”

The national reports from the 20 countries involved in the Commonwealth Foundation’s post 2015 project will be available shortly. 

In his closing remarks, Lazarus Muganda, First Secretary at the Kenya High Commission in London, said the Post-2015 agenda should deliver on the promise of sustainable development and call on the world to rally round a new Global Partnership that offers hope and a role to every person in the world.

http://www.cafod.org.uk/News/UK-News/Compass-report

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Photos from the 10th Women’s Affairs Ministerial Meeting Partners’ Forum.

Call for the Commonwealth to explore innovative, inclusive and accessible financing to support women entrepreneurs

Ministers called on the Commonwealth to explore inclusive and accessible financing for women entrepreneurs in view of major challenges around access to funding, at the conclusion of the 10th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting (10WAMM) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Women’s leadership and empowerment were reaffirmed as drivers of economic growth, political stability, peace, social justice and inclusive sustainable development.

“We are delighted that so many of the recommendations from the Partners’ Forum (10WPF) were included in the 10WAMM Communiqué,” said Vijay Krishnarayan, Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, organising the Partners’ Forum with BRAC. “This shows how much common ground there is between civil society and governments on gender equality. It underlines the value of civic inputs to ministerial debates. The Commonwealth Foundation is happy to have worked with its partners in Bangladesh to make this happen.”

The 10WAMM was opened by Hon Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and chaired by Hon Meher Afroze Chumki, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Bangladesh. 

Read the 10WAMM Communiqué

Read the 10WPF Recommendations

Monday, 17 June
Savar, Bangladesh

Delegates attending the 10th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministerial Meeting Partners’ Forum (10WPF) call on governments to prioritise women’s and girls’ economic empowerment in the post-2015 development agenda.

Civil society leaders demand active roles for women in decision-making processes. Governments urged to place emphasis on economic empowerment of women and girls in the post 2015 development agenda.

Ahead of the 10th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministerial Meeting (10WAMM) which will be inaugurated by the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina on Monday, 17 June, delegates from 17 Commonwealth countries debated the theme of “Women’s Leadership for Enterprise”. Key recommendations will be submitted to Senior Officials at the ministerial meeting. The keynote speaker for the ministerial meeting and President, International Federation of Professional Women, Frieda Miriklis stated, “Women’s economic empowerment should be by women, for women … and that the time has come to implement this idea without further delay.”

Speakers, including Patti O’Neill, Co-ordinator, DAC Network on Gender Equality, Global Policies and Partnership Division, OECD emphasised the need for inclusion of grassroots level participation in the development of the post 2015 agenda. Participants from all continents agreed that women’s and girls’ economic empowerment should be ensured to better society. “We should educate young women to be self reliant in a manner that they grow up to do and be whatever they like,” said Anoka Primrose Abeyrathne, a social entrepreneur from Sri Lanka. 

Commonwealth Foundation Chair and former Governor General of New Zealand, Sir Anand Satyanand, who presided over the session on “Should women’s economic empowerment be a central theme of the post-2015 agenda?” agreed with the delegates that gender equality and women’s rights should be the focus of the post 2015 agenda.

Key contributors to the debate included Meena Shivdas from the Commonwealth Secretariat, Shaheena Janjuha, Arif Zaman, Rukiyah Khatun, Neha Singh, Barbara Kasumu from United Kingdom, Sheepa Hafiza, Rokeya Kabir, Farzana Khan and Anir Chowdhury from Bangladesh, Ana Kessie (Tonga), Aasia Khan (Pakistan), Shoba Nayar(India), Pauline Ngari (Kenya), Gia Gaspard Taylor (Trinidad and Tobago) and Dr. Bola Olabisi, CEO of Global Women Inventors and Innovators and Myn Garcia, Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Foundation.